Like any multibillion-dollar entertainment venture, NASCAR provides plenty of licensed ephemera with which fans can express their loyalty to favorite drivers and teams. This must-have volume for NASCAR fans and collectors features all the diecast models, plastic-model kits, Hot Wheels, Matchbox cars, transporters and other NASCAR models that have been available to fans over the course of the last 20 years. All examples are arranged by driver and most are illustrated with a color photograph and accompanied by brief descriptions providing dates of manufacture. Appendices include a value guide to the items featured, as well as team and driver information.

-- An overview of NASCAR RM Winston Cup racing -- Die-cast collectibles for some of the top Winston Cup Series drivers -- Biographies for some of the biggest names in auto racing -- Up-to-date secondary market values

Die-cast enthusiasts and collectors will find more than 5,000 listings, along with clear, detailed photos of the most popular current and vintage die-cast vehicles from lines such as Corgi, Johnny Lightning, Matchbox, Hot Wheels, Racing Champions, Tootsietoys, Dinky, GMP, Kyosho, Eagle, and more. Each listing includes a detailed description (including color, size/scale, model number, features and year), as well as up-to-date pricing in up to three grades of condition. &break;&break;This comprehensive guide will help collectors in appraising their collection, while also giving them invaluable information and inspiration to keep on collecting. Also features a convenient checklist format for collectors to track a growing collection.

In the 1960s, model kit building was a huge hobby. Kids built plastic kits of planes, tanks, race cars, space ships, creatures from scary movies, you name it. Before baseball card collecting, Pokémon, and video games, model kit building was one of the most popular hobby activities. Car and airplane kits were the most popular, and among the car kits, muscle cars, as we know them today, were one of the most popular categories. Many owners of real muscle cars today were not old enough to buy them when the cars were new, of course. Yet kids of the 1960s and 1970s worshiped these cars to an extent completely foreign to kids today. If you couldn’t afford or were too young to buy a muscle car back then, what could you do? For many, the next best thing was to buy, collect, and build muscle car kits from a variety of kit companies. Hundreds were made. Many of these kits have become collectible today, especially in original, unassembled form. Although people still build kits today, there is a broad market for collectors of nostalgic model kits. People love the kits for the great box art, to rekindle fond memories of building them 40 years ago, or even as a companion to the full-scale cars they own today. Here, world-leading authority Tim Boyd takes you through the entire era of muscle car kits, covering the options, collectability, variety availability, and value of these wonderful kits today. Boyd also takes you through the differences between the original kits, the older reproduction kits, and the new reproduction kits that many people find at swap meets today. If you are looking to build a collection of muscle car kits, interested in getting the kits of your favorite manufacturer or even just of the cars you have owned, this book will be a valuable resource in your model kit search.

As technology continues to advance, it is critical for businesses to implement systems that can support the transformation of data into information that is crucial for the success of the company. Without the integration of data (both structured and unstructured) mining in business intelligence systems, invaluable knowledge is lost. However, there are currently many different models and approaches that must be explored to determine the best method of integration. Integration Challenges for Analytics, Business Intelligence, and Data Mining is a relevant academic book that provides empirical research findings on increasing the understanding of using data mining in the context of business intelligence and analytics systems. Covering topics that include big data, artificial intelligence, and decision making, this book is an ideal reference source for professionals working in the areas of data mining, business intelligence, and analytics; data scientists; IT specialists; managers; researchers; academicians; practitioners; and graduate students.

-- Full-color photos and values of the Wonder Boy's die-cast collectibles -- Secondary market values for his trading cards -- Career highlights and a detailed biography -- Features on other Jeff Gordon collectibles

Airfix has been commercially producing plastic kits since 1952 and its models have been made by successive generations of young boys and men alike. In the 1960s, a talented graphic artist called Roy Cross was commissioned to paint some of the box art for Airfix, and for a ten-year-period he provided many of the glorious paintings seen on the boxes, setting new standards for realism and accuracy. Many are still being used today, a full four decades later. Inside the pages of this book are some of Roy's best artworks, shown here in full format and in superb detail, with many reproduced here in book form for the very first time. As well as his vintage box art, Roy has included many sketches and alternative versions of his Airfix box art. After Roy left Airfix in 1974, the company went through a turbulent time. The present owners are Hornby, who have ambitious plans for Airfix and the other brands it acquired including Scalextric and Corgi. The decade that Roy Cross worked for Airfix, though, could be classed as their vintage era, with some of their finest models being produced then in their millions, ready for eager youngsters to build up into detailed miniature models of their favorite aircraft, ships and locomotives.